The Bovine Bugle

It’s June. Think Christmas.

With all the cows, heifers, and steers out grazing with their needs met for a few days, and with the baby chicks well-situated, it looked liked a good time to plant our balsam fir transplants. The weather looked good for today and tomorrow so I headed off to the rental place to get an earth auger. We use the auger with an 8" tip to make the holes to plant the trees. It took me two hours to auger 110 or so 16" deep holes. I always do a few more holes than I have seedlings just in case I lose count while I'm making the holes.

The planting goes pretty fast with the holes already prepared. Son Noah kept my Mom company while wife Karen and I headed over to plant the trees. We brought a bucket load of compost, the trees, a wheelbarrow, a round-pointed shovel, and plenty of insect repellant with us. In each hole we put a shovelful of compost to mix with the soil that was augered out of the hole. Then the transplant is planted, taking care to arrange the root mass in the hole and to pack the soil/compost firmly around the tree. It took us about two hours and 3 wheelbarrow loads of compost to plant 100 trees. There is something very calming about working with plants/seedlings and the soil. While you plant that tree, you are thinking about how it will grow, and how you will shear it and shape it into a beautiful tree for some family to enjoy during some future holiday season.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont